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MAJOR VICTORY AGAINST SECRET TRIALS AT CANADA'S SUPREME COURT, FEBRUARY 23, 2007

 

QUICK LINK TO GITMO NORTH HUNGER STRIKE UPDATES


Let Them Eat Chocolate Sauce: February 4 Hunger Strike Update and Call to Action

 

 

CAMPAIGN TO STOP SECRET TRIALS IN CANADA

Five Muslim men have been held, as of December 2006, a collective total of 273 months in Canadian prisons, much of it in solitary confinement, without charge, without bail, on secret "evidence" which neither they nor their lawyers are allowed to see. They are men with wives and children they cannot touch or hug. None has ever been convicted of any criminal offence in Canada. Welcome to Canada's own Guantanamo Bay.
While we rejoice at the February 18, 2005 release of Adil Charkaoui on bail, and the May 23, 2006 decision to grant bail to Mohamed Harkat under even more restrictive house arrest conditions, we recognize that they, like the other three men, must continue to face the use of secret evidence, and the ever-present threat of Canada's determination to carry out their deportation to torture.

 

 
 
 *******QUICK LINKS: THE BASIC INFORMATION YOU NEED TO GET AN OVERVIEW OF SECRET TRIALS IN CANADA*******
  SIGN ON TO STOP SECRET TRIALS IN CANADA
BACKGROUNDER ON DEPORTATION TO TORTURE
 
Statement to End Secret Trials: Download this statement, gather signatures, return it to us to present in Ottawa
 
CONTRIBUTING TO THE COSTS OF THE CAMPAIGN: If you would like to financially support our work, you can make a cheque out to Homes not Bombs and send it to PO Box 73620, 509 St. Clair Ave. West, Toronto, ON M6C 1C0. Thank you! 
 

"First they came for the Communists, and I didn't speak up, because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up, because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up, because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up for me." - Pastor Martin Niemoller, 1945, Germany

 

"A time comes when silence is betrayal. We are called to speak for the weak, for the voiceless, for victims of our nation and for those it calls enemy, for no document from human hands can make these humans any less our brothers and sisters." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

RELATED LINKS:

Justice for Adil Charkoui Coalition website, Montreal (www.adilinfo.org)

Justice for Mohamed Harkat Coalition website, Ottawa (www.zerra.net/freemohamed)

Under the CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) secret trial "security" certificate, Canada's spy agency has largely Muslim men or men of Middle Eastern or Arabic background thrown behind bars, without charges or bail, threatened with deportation to a country where they face torture or execution. Neither they nor their lawyers are allowed to see the "evidence" against them under the blanket claim of "national security." There is no appeal of the Federal Court ruling delivered by a CSIS-approved judge. The Campaign to Stop Secret Trials in Canada organizes court support, engages in research and political action and tries to provide support for the families of Canada's "disappeared." The campaign is rooted in anti-racist principles, and explicitly condemns Islamophobia, anti-semitism, and all related forms of religious and political intolerance.

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ARTICLES ON THE SECRET TRIAL SECURITY CERTIFICATE and POLITICAL EFFORTS TO STOP SECRET TRIALS IN CANADA
 
(Click on the title of the article you wish to read and it will open to a separate page. The most recent articles are listed first. Canada's Secret Trial Five are Mohammad Mahjoub (detained since June, 2000), Mahmoud Jaballah (August 2001, following his acquittal on a first certificate in 1999), Hassan Almrei (October, 2001), Mohamed Harkat (December, 2002 - June, 2006, now under house arrest) and Adil Charkaoui (May, 2003 - February 2005, now under house arrest).
 
  
 
Statements on the Hunger Strike from NDP, Ursula Franklin, Canadian Labour Congress, Canadian Council for Refugees
 
 
FEBRUARY 1 UPDATE: Families head to Ottawa in 11th-Hour Bid to Save Loved Ones on Hunger Strike, Call the PMO Friday at 11 am
 
 
"We are slowly dying in here..."; Weekend Scare Underscores Very Real Danger of Sudden Death for Hunger Striking Detainees at Canada's Guantanamo North; Still No Medical Monitoring After Two Months Without Food, January 30, 2007
 
Stockwell Day Visits "Guantanamo North" Prison in Kingston, But
Refuses To Speak with Detainees, January 26, 2007
 
70 Health Care Professionals Call on Stockwell Day to Intervene and Negotiate to End Hunger Strike, January 23, 2007
 
 
A Flowering of Resistance: Cross-Country Days of Action Call for Closing of Guantanamo North; Punishing Hunger Strike Continues, January 16, 2007
 
 
Open Letter from Gitmo North; Hunger Strike Update, January 8, 2007
 
 
Secret Trial Detainee Mahmoud Jaballah's Indefinite Detention Continues as Bail Hearing Suspended, December 20, 2006
 

 

Hunger Strike at Canada's Guantanamo Bay: December 15, 2006
 
 
Decision to Deport Secret Trial Detainee Mohammad Mahjoub to Egypt Found to be "Flawed, Perverse, Patently Unreasonable", December 15, 2006
 
 
What Happens if the Judge Makes Another Mistake? Startling Confession of Judicial Error in Jaballah Security Certificate Hearing Reveals Weaknesses of a Process Already Condemned by Leading Human Rights Organizations, July 14, 2006
 
Support Canada's Secret Trial Detainees, Three of Whom Have Been on Hunger Strike For Over a Month at Guantanamo Bay North in Kingston, Ontario, June 22, 2006
National Day to Close Canada's Guantanamo Bay North, June 26, 2006
Reflections from the Freedom Caravan and Camp Hope, June 3-15, 2006
Freedom Caravan, Camp Hope, Toronto to Ottawa, June 3-16. As the Supreme Court Prepares to Hear the Case of Secret Trials in Canada.
Monte Solberg Receives Torture Teach-in at his First Toronto Appearance; Minister Responsible for Deportations to Torture Refuses to Arrange Meeting with Friends, Families of Canada's Secret Trial Detainees, March 20, 2006
Federal Court of Canada Gives the Green Light to Deportation to Torture; Immigration Decision to Deport Mahmoud Jaballah to Torture or Death Ruled "Lawful", March 16, 2006
National Activities Planned To End Secret Trials as Supreme Court Prepares to Hear Cases of the Secret Trial Five
From the Court of Public Opinion, to the Court of Secret Trials: A Reflection on Public Dissent and the Notion of "Impartiality" in a secret hearing, February 7, 2006
 
Where's the Due Process, Mr. Volpe?, Jan. 14 2006
Vote Volpe, Vote Torture: Peaceful Info Pickets at Deportation Minister's Campaign Office, Sat., Jan 7 & Sat., Jan 14, 1 pm
 
Toronto Police Name Santa A Security Threat ; Police Threaten Arrests as They Block Access to Sidewalk in front of U.S. Consulate During Xmas Eve Walk of Hope to Set the Captives Free, Dec. 24, 2005
Set the Captives Free: Vigil and Walk of Hope, Sat., Dec. 24, 12 Noon, 277 Front St. West  
 
Canadian Muslim Detainees Call for Release of Christian Peacemaker Team Members in Iraq, December 3, 2005
 
Refusing to Hear Their Voices: October, 2005 Secret Trials Update
  
Canada Defies United Nations and Paves the way to Deport Secret Trial Detainee Mahmoud Jaballah to Torture in Egypt; New Immigration Decision Violates Canada's Legal Obligation NEVER to deport ANYONE to Torture, October 4, 2005 
  
Federal Transfer of Detainees a Dangerous Sham to Detract From Right to Bail, October 20, 2005
  
Supreme Court To Hear Hassan Almrei's Bail Application, October 20, 2005
  
Measuring Security Measures: Short films on immigration, media, law and policy in a "secure" Canada, October 18, 2005
  
Spies, bureaucracy and torture: Two days in court with CSIS and Charkaoui, October 11, 2005
  
Canada Defies United Nations and Paves the way to Deport Secret Trial Detainee Mahmoud Jaballah to Torture in Egypt; New Immigration Decision Violates Canada's Legal Obligation NEVER to deport ANYONE to Torture, October 4, 2005
Mohammad Mahjoub Ends Hunger Strike on Day 79; Secret Trial Detainee "Wins" Most of his Demands, but at What Cost? September 24, 2005  
  
Ontario Government Refuses to Budge on Day 75 of Mohammad Mahjoub's Hunger Strike, Sept. 19, 2005  
  
URGENT ACTION: DAY 72 OF MAHJOUB HUNGER STRIKE
  
Urgent Action Required to Save Life of Secret Trial Detainee Mohammad Mahjoub, on Day 68 of a Hunger Strike in Solitary Confinement
  
"Oh, now now...": Three Days of Emotional Personal Testimony Mark Jaballah Bail Hearing in Toronto; CSIS Continues to Make it Up As They Go Along, Claiming No Secret Trial Detainee can "Ever" be released, September 9, 2005
      
Urgent Action Required to Save Life of Secret Trial Detainee Mohammad Mahjoub, on Day 61 of a Hunger Strike in Solitary Confinement
  
Hassan Almrei ends 73-day hunger strike on a hopeful note, but Mohammad Mahjoub Still Starving, Sept 3, 2005
 
September 3 Hunger Strike Update  
 
They Try and Block Your Every Move: Mahmoud Jaballah Searches For a Court to Hear His Plea for Bail After Four Years of Detention Without Charge Punishing Hunger Strikes Continue for Hassan Almrei (day 60) and Mohammad Mahjoub (day 45), AUGUST 21, 2005
 
Rituals, Ceremony and Theatre : A Personal Account from the Land of Secret Trials, August 1, 2005
 
40 Days Gone: Hassan Almrei Still on Hunger Strike from Toronto Solitary Confinement Cell; Mohammad Mahjoub Also Hunger Striking for Over Three Weeks, August 1, 2005
 
"All I Know is My Four Walls", Report from the Bail Hearing for Secret Trial Detainee Hassan Almrei, July 27, 2005
 
Only in Canada: When Torture Becomes A Public Relations Problem: Federal Government Admits It Doesn't Have Enough Information to Even Lay a Criminal Charge Against Hassan Almrei, Held Almost Four Years in Solitary Confinement Without Charge or Bail on Secret "Evidence" Neither He nor his Lawyer is Allowed to See, July 6, 2005
   
Canada Day in Solitary Confinement: Part 4: Hassan Almrei, Almost Four Years in Solitary Confinement and Now on Day 13 of a Hunger Strike, Seeks Release on Bail; Alexandre Trudeau, Naomi Klein, Avi Lewis and Heather Mallick Join Hassan's Bail Community; Three Jail Guards Testify About Hassan's Trustworthiness and Character, July 6, 2005
THE PROBLEM WITH TORTURE: NO ONE WILL BELIEVE YOU: A REPORT BACK FROM 24 HOURS AGAINST TORTURE, JUNE 8, 2005
 
Towards a Society of Spies: Adil Charkaoui Update, June 1, 2005
 
$1,000 Fines Proposed for CSIS Sit-in Arrestees; Bizarre JP Eventually Reduces fine to $50, MAY 27, 2005
 
Human Contact is a Human Right: Secret Trial Detainees Demand Contact Visits With their Families
 
 24 Hours Against Torture: A National Day of Action to Stop Canadian Deportation to Torture, June 8-9
 
Chasing Down Justice and Seeking a Presumption of Innocence: An April Report from the Campaign to Stop Secret Trials, APRIL, 2005
 
MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS IN SECRET TRIAL CASES, MARCH 23, 2005: Mahmoud Jaballah Wins Judicial Review on Deportation to Torture; Security Certificate Upheld in case of Secret Trial Detainee Mohamed Harkat; Bail Hearing Continues for Secret Trial Detainee Mohammad Mahjoub; Security Certificate Hearing for Secret Trial Detainee (now under house arrest) Adil Charkaoui Suspended Pending new Protection Decision; Hassan Almrei marks 41 Months, Six Days in Solitary Confinement in Toronto Detention Facility
 
Secret Trial Detainee Hassan Almrei Wins Significant Court Decision on Deportation to Torture in Syria, March 11, 2005
 
Beginning of the End for Secret Trial Security Certificates in Canada, Report from Ottawa Lobby, March 8, 2005
Charkaoui liberation signals hope - but struggle far from over, February 17, 2005
     
Secret Trial Detainee Mohammad Mahjoub Wins Significant Court Decision on Deportation to Torture in Egypt, January 31, 2005
 
Update on Secret Trial Detainee Adil Charkaoui: CSIS Destroys Evidence as MPs offer Bail, January 2005
Beautiful New "Free the Secret Trial Five" T-Shirts now available!
 
YEAR-END VIGIL TO STOP SECRET TRIALS DRAWS HEAVY SECURITY PRESENCE, December 31, 2004
 
 
National Day of Action to Stop Secret Trials in Canada, Friday, December 10, 2004, Actions in Ottawa, Montreal, Vancouver, Edmonton, Durham, Guelph, Toronto, and beyond...(for Toronto Details click HERE)
 
RALLY AGAINST SECRET TRIALS, OTTAWA, NOV. 8  
 
SIX ARRESTS MADE AT CSIS AS SIT-IN DEMANDS SECRET EVIDENCE BEING USED TO DETAIN CANADA'S SECRET TRIAL FIVE, Oct. 20, 2004
 
LAWYERS FROM ACROSS CANADA SPEAK OUT AGAINST SECRET TRIALS IN OPEN LETTER TO ANNE MCLELLAN, OCTOBER 13, 2004
 
When Gandhi Met Hindy: A Toronto Imam and his Community Take a Page from the Mahatma in pressing for Human Rights in Canada, October 3, 2004
 
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 8, Constitutional Arguments About Security Certificate in Charkaoui Case, Federal Court of Appeal, Ottawa, Noon-Hour Rally
 
MAHJOUB GETS A STAY OF DEPORTATION TO TORTURE, SEPTEMBER 8, 2004
 
STOP DEPORTATION OF MOHAMMAD MAHJOUB TO TORTURE, SEPTEMBER 3, 2004
 
GETTING CANADA OFF THE TORTURE TRAIN: JABALLAH CHALLENGES DEPORTATION TO TORTURE, AUGUST 16, 2004 
 
SECRET TRIAL DETAINEE ADIL CHARKAOUI DENIED CANADIAN PROTECTION FROM TORTURE: AUGUST 19, 2004
WHAT ARE SECRET TRIALS AND SECURITY CERTIFICATES? AN INTRODUCTORY PRIMER  
 
NEW ESPERANZA FUND TO HELP FAMILIES OF CANADA'S SECRET TRIAL FIVE, AUGUST, 2004
 
WHAT ARE SECRET TRIALS AND SECURITY CERTIFICATES? AN INTRODUCTORY PRIMER, MAY, 2004
 
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL LETTER ON SECRET TRIALS IN CANADA, MARCH 31, 2004
 
SEND YOUR BROKEN AND INK-LESS PENS TO CANADA'S MINISTER OF SECRET TRIALS AND DOMESTIC REPRESSION,ANNE MCLELLAN
  
Four Years Behind Bars Without Charge or Bail: Secret Trials Continue in the Land of Trickle-Down Democracy, Mahjoub Bail Hearing, June 4, 2004
 
 Amnesty Criticizes Canada, One Year in Prison for Charkaoui, Other Campaign Updates, May 26, 2004
 
"It's the Canadian Justice System that's in Solitary Confinement" Police Make Intimidation Arrest at Peaceful Vigil as Demonstrators Demand "Bail, not Jail" for Canada's Secret Trial Five, APRIL 3, 2004
 
 Anne McLellan, Minister of Secret Trials, Refuses to Meet with Families of Canada's Secret Trial Five, April 1, 2004
 
 Syrian Refugee and Secret Trial Detainee Hassan Almrei Denied Bail; Judge Finds Two and a Half Years of Solitary Confinement "not unreasonable" and bases his decision almost exclusively on secret evidence, MARCH 22, 2004
 
MARCH BREAK IN THE LAND OF SECRET TRIALS: CHILDREN OF SECRET TRIAL DETAINEES PLAY "RING AROUND THE CSIS", March 15, 2004
 
 SECRET TRIAL DETAINEE MAHMOUD JABALLAH DENIED BAIL; CANADA TRIES TO DEPORT HIM TO TORTURE, MARCH 5, 2004
 
Second Canadian Details Torture in Syrian Prison, February 25, 2004
 
BEHIND RAZOR-WIRE: VISITING ADIL CHARKAOUI BEHIND BARS, FEBRUARY 10, 2004
 
BAIL DENIED TO SECRET TRIAL DETAINEE ADIL CHARKAOUI, HELD ON SECRET "EVIDENCE" WITHOUT CHARGE SINCE MAY, 2003, IN MONTREAL, January 23, 2004
 
Hassan Almrei Awaits Bail Decision as he Marks 27 Months in Solitary Confinement, January 19, 2004
 
 HASSAN ALMREI WINS SHOES IN SIGNIFICANT COURT VICTORY, DECEMBER 19, 2003
 
HASSAN ALMREI GRANTED A STAY OF DEPORTATION; BAIL HEARING CONTINUES, NOVEMBER 28, 2003
 
STOP THE DEPORTATION OF HASSAN ALMREI TO TORTURE IN SYRIA: ARAR SPEAKS OUT IN SUPPORT OF HASSAN, NOVEMBER 25, 2003
 
HASSAN ALMREI RELEASES AFFIDAVIT DETAILING HIS BACKGROUND, NOVEMBER 24, 2003
 
SECRET TRIAL PRISONER HASSAN ALMREI ENDS HUNGER STRIKE AFTER DAY 39 AS HE GETS HEAT IN HIS CELL AND GUARDS TESTIFY ON HIS BEHALF. TAKE ACTION TO SUPPORT HASSAN
 
URGENT ACTION: HASSAN ALMREI ON HUNGER STRIKE, DAY 37 (Nov. 4)
 
JOIN THE INTERNATIONAL RAMADAN SOLIDARITY FAST, OCT. 27-NOV. 26
 
 Protesters Trick-or-Treat Across Canada as CSIS, RCMP Play Hide and Don't Seek; 70-year-old Resisters Help Lead the Way in 10 Cities During National Day of Action to Stop Secret Trials in Canada; Five Arrested as Costumed Crusaders Demand CSIS, RCMP Stop Terrorizing Canada's Arabic, Middle Eastern, South Asian and Muslim Communities, October 31, 2003
 
One Month of Hassan's Hunger Strike: Report from the Shoe-Off
 
 RALLY MONDAY, OCTOBER 27, 11:45 AM, SOLIDARITY SHOE-OFF FOR HASSAN MARKS ONE MONTH ON HUNGER STRIKE
 
Hungering For Justice: From Solitary Confinement to the Streets of Toronto. The Case of a Syrian Refugee Held Two Years in Solitary Confinement in Toronto is very much Linked to the Campaign to Transform Moss Park Armoury into Non-Profit, Affordable Housing, October 7, 2003
 
Toronto Jewish Woman Begins Open-ended Yom Kippur Fast in Support of Hunger-Striking Muslim Prisoner; Hassan Almrei, held almost Two Years in Solitary Confinement, now in 9th day of Hunger Strike Demanding Heat in His Cell and an End to the Use of Secret Evidence Which Keeps Him There, October 7, 2003
 
Secret Trial Prisoner Hassan Almrei on Hunger Strike; October 19 will Mark Two Years in Solitary Confinement, October 5, 2003
 
Open letter to CSIS in Advance of the Halloween Trick-or-Treat Action, September 25, 2003
 
 TRICK OR TREAT! JOIN THE HALLOWEEN ACTION AT CSIS!!! 
 
Prime Minister Jean Chretien Refuses to Meet With Families of Canada's Secret Trial Detainees, August 25, 2003
 
Mohamed Harkat Security Certificate Hearing: Lawyers, former CSIS Witness Threatened with Prosecution and Lengthy Jail Terms, July, 2003
 
Canada Day in Solitary Confinement: Reflections on the Bail Hearing for Hassan Almrei in a Land of Secret Trials, July 1, 2003
 
Come to Court to Support Hassan Almrei, June, 2003
 
Walk to Stop Secret Trials: CSIS Refuses To Accept Charter of Rights and Freedoms at Completion of Three-Day Trek, June, 2003
 
"Security Certificate" Issued Against Adil Charkaoui, May, 2003
 
 Welcome to the Occupation: Machine-Gun Toting RCMP Occupy Toronto Courthouse During Bail Hearing for Muslim Man Who Has Never Been Charged or Convicted of ANY Crime. A Report on the Bail Hearing for Muhammad Mahjoub, May 2003
 
Federal Court Rules Immigration Minister Abusive, That Mahmoud Jaballah In Need of Protection from Deportation, and Upholds Certificate on Undisclosed Old Evidence, May 2003
 
Toronto's Own Guantanamo Bay: An Abuse of Process Hearing to Release Mahmoud Jaballah, April 11, 2003
 
Press Release Regarding Walk to End Racism, Repression and War, July 2002
 
July 20-26, 2002 Walk to End Racism, Repression and War Faces Daily Surveillance, Threats of Arrest, and Acts as A Magnet for some of the Horror Stories of Racism Experienced Daily in Happy Canada, July 2002
 
Poster for Valentine's Day Walk for the Disappeared, February 2002
 
Letter to U.S. Consulate Regarding Freedom for Shakir Baloch, February 13, 2002
 
Walk to Release Canada's Disappeared Press Release, January 2002
 
Resisting the Chill: Diary from Walk to Release Canada's Disappeared, January 2002
 
Flyers for Walk to Release Canada's Disappeared, December 2001 - January 2002 
 
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